


Battle at Mountain Pass

by Darkfyyre



Category: Hummel Quest, WoT, World of Tanks
Genre: Explicit Language, Gen, sentient tanks
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-09-15
Updated: 2016-12-31
Packaged: 2018-02-17 13:16:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 16,872
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2310947
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Darkfyyre/pseuds/Darkfyyre
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In a world dominated by hot lead and cold steel, existing has some pretty simple rules: fight or die. But what if one can’t fight, but refuses to die? Can they hope to continue their existence in this world? In this tale of epic adventure, some bold few challenge the ruthless laws of the land in order to master their own fates. Will their efforts pay off? Or will their bravery have been foolishness from the start?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Battle at Mountain Pass

**Author's Note:**

> Based on the hugely successful WoT fanfic, Hummel Quest, this story plays out in a world dominated by sentient machines of war. Find Hummel Quest on Fanfiction.net, written by the talented autophagy. You can also find useful information about the setting and characters [here](http://artyrambles.tumblr.com/fiction) , as well as dozens of separate spin-offs written by several other authors.
> 
> I hope you enjoy my own take on this fascinating world! Cheers!

Hot lead pounded the cliff side, pinning the three vehicles stationed there - a T-20, M6 heavy, and a Ram II. A small eternity seemed to be stretching on, as the group waited for reinforcements. From time to time, the T-20 would pop out and fire back, bravely dodging the heavy fire that prevented them from escaping. The M6, with his heavier armor, could also return fire without sustaining too much damage. Feeling increasingly frustrated by the situation, the Ram II provided a constant stream of "blanks" - in other words, he swore like a battleship.

The battle had come upon them suddenly, beginning with a routine patrol before turning into a deadly storm of shells. They'd managed to take cover behind a rocky outcrop, and had even secured the high ground overlooking a deep valley, but now they were trapped. Their radios crackled and buzzed with a constant exchange of information. The M4A3 Sherman brothers had been deployed to act as a diversion in the valley, while TD snipers took up positions along the opposite ridge. But their home base was a long way off, and a greater danger loomed over all of them - SPG's.

The spray of armor piercing rounds and HE was bad enough, but behind their cover, they were relatively safe. It was the heavy crash of the artillery barrage they knew to be coming that terrified even the Ram, who never showed any signs of fear.

"It won't be long now," The T-20 murmured nervously, her tracks visibly trembling. 

The Ram growled back, "Sweetheart, with an attitude like that, no one's gettin' out of this one alive." He adjusted the station on his radio, and music poured out of it.

"Leave Tracey alone," the M6 reversed and bumped his companion in warning. "And for the love of fuel, turn that off, Michael!"

"Calm down, gramps." Michael said in a low rumble, and ignored the heavy's request to cease the music.

Just then came the thunderous sound they'd all been dreading. It cracked the sky open with its tremendous power, and three white-hot tracers streaked overhead in near-perfect unison. The first hit a mere two meters to their left, leaving a crater so deep a Tier 1 could have happily nestled into it and not be seen. The second obliterated the stony wall before them, sending boulders crashing down the cliff face. The third slammed down between them, and the scorching splash cascaded over their turrets and blinded them.

"Russel!" A scream rang out. Through the dirt and smoke, Russel peered through his cracked view port in time to see Tracey clinging to the disintegrating debris and hanging precariously over the edge. Russel threw his engine into high gear, guzzling down some high octane, but he'd hardly crawled forward when two shots knocked his already damaged tracks off. The next moment, the slender form of the T-20 disappeared from view and over the edge.

Those shots... they'd come from... behind? Russel whipped his turret around, loading a round angrily. "How could you, Michael?" He cried out. Down in the valley, they could hear their team mates swarming the enemy's position, and the sniper shots echoed throughout the mountains. "What were you thinking?" He fixed the grim-looking Ram II in his sights.

"I was thinking you were being a fuckin' moron," Michael spat back. "She was a gonner. There was nothing you could have done to save her, you damn fool. You'd have only fallen after her. Crazy love-struck heavy..."

Russel fired into the dirt just inches from Micheal's lower glacis, but the medium didn't even flinch as the shrapnel found its way into the soft spots of his under armor. "She was my friend, damn it." Russel croaked. Still, he knew Michael was right. If anything, he'd have only fallen on her and crushed her. "You pull a stunt like that again; I'll kill you." He said dangerously.

"Whatever." Michael turned to face an approaching M36 Jackson, and grinned. "Took ya long enough."

"Their position was difficult to pinpoint." The Jackson swung his turret about, observing the destruction. "Heavy artillery support... these guys didn't stumble upon us by mere chance." He seemed to process another aspect of the scene. "Where is Tracey?"

Both battle-scarred vehicles turned silently towards the drop, and the Jackson nodded gravely. "I see. So it's like that. Still, a single loss is a miracle, given our circumstances." He turned sharply to head back down the path. "Get yourselves back to camp for repairs. We'll see these attackers again."


	2. Shadow of the Valley of Death

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Night falls on the mountains and ravines, and a curious heavy tank makes a startling find during a midnight mission.

"I can't believe I got saddled with _you_ ,"

Under the shadow of a mountain, a KV-1 and a T21 scout moved carefully through the foliage and boulders. The T21 was in in a sour mood, as it didn't really care for work, especially work that involved boring, slow heavies. The KV-1 plodded along, looking at every little thing around it, and claiming it was only "making sure they were safe". Ha, as though a stupid heavy could out-spot a /real/ scout tank.

The KV-1 didn't mind his rude companion, as he was a very thick-hulled vehicle. He instead focused on the landscape around them, observing how the terrain might be used both offensively and defensively. While the T21 was observant enough, he didn't much care for working anyway, and preferred running from danger. Should they encounter resistance, the KV-1 knew he'd be on his own.

As they crossed a stream, they came across an ancient, burned-out hulk of rusted steel. Territories were always being fought over, and the remnants of tanks past could be found scattered from one end of the world to the other. The bodies always made the heavy nervous - they served to remind him that the same fate could be his one day.

"Ah, this is pointless, Kralik. I'm nipping back for some octane. Coming with?" The T21 nudged his tracks gently, careful not to hurt itself.

"I think I'd rather finish the mission. Just tell the others we completed our rounds, but I told you not to wait for me."

"Sweet." The scout dipped its gun in a gesture of thanks, before turning swiftly and departing in a whir.

Thick silence and shadow enveloped the lone heavy, as the sun continued its slow sink beyond the mountain. He kept plowing on, though, determined to make a full sweep of the area before going back to base. Humming softly to himself, he started to forget about possible lurking dangers, until he heard a horrible screeching sound, such as metal scraping against metal.

He flew into the cover of some small bushes, though they did no good at all to hide him, and shook fearfully. _Oh, no; I've been spotted for sure!_ He risked swiveling his turret slowly to find the source of the noise, and noticed a hefty pile of boulders and scree pressed against the cliff. He looked up, and suddenly recognized the place. _Ah, that's right. We were positioned here... and the arties caused a landslide._ He crept out from the brush, and moved towards it, completely forgetting about the sound he'd heard earlier.

Until it came again. This time, it sounded like metal grinding on rock, and a familiar sputtering followed it. _An... an engine?_ He prodded the pile with a track, and some loose stones crumbled across his frontal plate harmlessly. This earned him a hissing gasp from the pile, and he drew back, alarmed.

"Is... is someone there?" A rasping voice called out feebly. "Please... please help me... I don't want to die here... please..." The voice seemed to be fading as it came, and this prompted Kralik to action immediately.

"No need to worry, comrade!" He started to clamber up onto the pile, using his treads to drag rocks and dirt off the hull of what seemed to be another tank. He kept at it, working patiently but with a sense of urgency, until he figured he could push the fragile vehicle to freedom. "Hang on; I will push you now." With all his might, he began to inch the other from the rocky tomb. A final shove freed them both, and the hull of the badly injured tank slid down into the soft earth floor of the valley.

"Ow, ow..." Kralik hurried after carefully, and looked over the wrecked medium. Both tracks had been torn up, and the turret looked crooked and awkward. Scrapes covered the main hull, and some deep scores could be seen where the armor was weaker. In the darkness, he couldn't identify what kind of tank this even was, and forget nationality. All he knew was that he couldn't possibly leave it there.

"What is your name?" Kralik whispered gently.

There was a brief silence, while the other collected their thoughts. "Tracey. Who are you? Why are you here?" She tried to raise her barrel, only to produce that same, horrible screeching sound.

"Shhhh! Someone might hear you." The heavy looked around, panicked. "I am Kralik. I... I was patrolling. You need help, yes?"

"...Yes." She drooped, causing her entire hulk to creak eerily. Kralik worried she'd fall apart right then and there.

"I call my comrades; they can help you." He flicked on his radio, and sent out some brief communications. "I will stay with you here?"

Tracey shuttered her view port, feeling tired. "Please. And... thank you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The light tank mentions something about "going back for octane" - this is a reference to alcohol. High-octane fuel is to tanks what vodka is to humans.
> 
> I know these are all really short, but I'm trying to keep their word count at around 500-800 words. This kind of started out as a writing exercise but now it's a full-scale project. Look forward to more parts soon!


	3. The Angel Mercenaries

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sasha has his reasons for attacking Ryan's base seemingly out of the blue. And while he's a force to be reckoned with himself, he knows his own limitations, and understands the power wielded by another, almost god-like vehicle...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A new installment for the story! We divert a little from the main plot to get some back story on characters yet to come into play. Well… almost. Remember the three shells that sent Tracey down the cliff? You’re about the meet those responsible. Enjoy!

There seemed to be only two ways to think about artillery. The lower tiers scoffed at them, telling them they were useless and added nothing to the team. But the higher tiers knew better. They gazed upon the skilled SPG with the greatest respect, whether it came out of trust, or fear. They knew how artillery support could turn the tides of war, and how crucial it was to protect their SPG’s and the destroy the enemy’s.

Sasha was no fool. Having clawed his way up through the ranks, he’d come to know of the artillery’s potency at a young tier. He’d witnessed their power first-track, during a particularly gnarly battle on open stretches of the Steppes. He could never forget that day, and every morning he’d recall it, and let it fuel his desire for conquest…

_The battle was in full swing under a sweltering, mid-day sun. The earth was dusty and cracked, and it crumbled under the heavy treads of the vehicles passing over it. Sasha, and him comrade and mentor, Aleksei, where holding down a south-west position, working together to achieve a near-constant stream of fire over the enemy position. Pinned down, their foes could hardly peek out to shoot without a nasty surprise burying itself into their inferior armor._

_"We’re really handing it to them, eh Aleksei?" Sasha shouted excitedly, struggling to be heard over the booming of cannon and the roar of engines. He glanced excitedly at the IS-3, but the older tank was too concentrated on the work at hand to respond properly, and merely grunted._

_A shot ricocheted off one of the tall stones that covered them, and in turn, Sasha put a shell into the overly-bold medium that has traversed out at the wrong time. The ammo rack exploded, sending the hapless tank’s turret flying. “Wow! Did you see that, Aleksei?”_

_Aleksei chuckled, and relaxed his guard. They knew only two vehicles were left across from their position, and after the death of their companion, neither seemed inclined to keep fighting. “Won’t be long now,” he remarked, “this one was really a stomp. I don’t understand why’d they’d be so bold… Bah! Stupid, really._

_As Sasha began to laugh along with him, they heard a whistling crack overhead. Aleksei suddenly shoved Sasha aside, yelling, “Run!” Sasha whirled around just in time to see a brilliant explosion light up the heavy’s contours before the smoke and flames engulfed him. The shot had come from the sky! Sasha felt himself unable to move, but his tracks were perfectly intact. Aleksei managed to groan out, “What are you doing… you fool… run, Sasha… Run!” Those were his last words before the fire took him, and after a trembling start, Sasha heeded them and fled the area._

He never looked back, and didn’t stop for a long time. Every now and then, he wondered what became of his old team, but would quickly push the thought from his mind. It was no good to dwell on the old and gone. Instead, he turned to the future. He’d come across strong and able friends, and assembled a team; risen to through the Tiers and become a powerful Tier VIII - everything he needed to begin his conquest.

Before him, three SPG’s engines rumbled menacingly, smoke curling ominously from their exhaust pipes in the evening light. The group consisted of a G.W. Panther, a Bat.-Châtillon 155 58, and an M12, and all were painted solid black, barring a silver wing-and-cannon insignia on their frontal plates. They called themselves the Angel Mercenaries, and they were expertly trained artillery for hire. They came from distant, unmapped lands, and were a generally suspicious lot. But Sasha knew what power looked like, and this was it.

"You understand and agree to my terms, eh?" The M12 was saying. She was their leader, a rough-around-the edgers kind of gal with no time for games.

"That is correct. 20% of the territory gained is all yours. That means the better you perform, the more profit you make." Sasha agreed. "I expected you’d like to meet my clan."

"Ksk! As if," the Bat Chat scoffed, "we’re not interested in making friends, ya hear? You and your kind are not _worthy_ of _my_ attention.” He, of course, meant any vehicle that wasn’t artillery. The Bat Chat had a serious ego problem.

The G.W. looked thoughtful, before saying, “I don’t see why not. I, for one, like to know who I’m fighting for. I need to judge the character of your team.” She dipped her barrel respectfully to him. “Lead on.” Perhaps the softest of the three, the G.W. enjoyed quietly listening to and watching others.

"Alright. The deal is settled. I will show you all the camp, where you can refuel and rest for the night. In the morning… we begin."


	4. Unforgiven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Russel is filled with despair and a low-burning anger, but he knows better than to let it rule him, and so turns to his team's leader. The M36 Jackson is a known legend, and all who serve under him afford him much respect. Can he devise a plan to protect his team, or will they fall, as so many teams did before them, beneath the heavy tracks of the terrible Sasha?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one's a little short, so treat it more like a transition of sorts!

Russel’s team was a nervous one on the night that followed their harrowing battle with the strange team that attacked their patrol. They were fortunate to have only lost a single member, and they’d also managed to repel the invaders - for now. Russel wasn’t actually the team leader, but he was a senior member. Ryan, an M36 Jackson, made the final call when decision time came around. Presently, the two sat in his private garage, going over plans for a possible counter-offensive. It was a spacious garage, and although it held the spoils of past campaigns, and countless maps of the surrounding terrain - as well as distant lands - the Jackson managed to keep it all tidy. 

"The mountains make our location easier to defend, but it also forces us to remain stationary. This presents several problems," Ryan moved away from the monitor displaying a map of their territory, and looked out the open garage door, "one, we cannot actively spot their positions safely without leaving our own, and two, their artillery would inevitably wipe us out, leaving them with very few casualties while our own forces are decimated." He sighed heavily, and turned back to face Russel.

The M6 grunted, shuttering his still-fractured view port in concentration. “So what you’re suggesting is, we launch a surprise attack, ensuring they don’t get the chance to attack again.” Russel’s shutters snapped open again, fixing his leader with a crooked grimace. “Of course, we haven’t the slightest idea where they are, and what their forces look like. This could be suicide. On top of which, we’d need time for prep; time we probably don’t have.”

"We have scouts." Ryan said simply. "They know how to do their job."

"And if they’re caught? Or, worse, killed?" Russel began to slowly pace - a difficult maneuver as it was, and worse still for a heavy tank in a crowded space. While roomy for the TD, Russel found himself cramped. "They could go at it all night, but with the size of our territory? They might not find them at all. The enemy could be outside our borders, they could-"

"Russel," Ryan stopped him with a firm voice. "We’re going to combine tactics. A counter-attack launched from defensive positions." He observed Russel’s unsure shuffling of treads before continuing, "we retract all units from the base, and take up hidden positions above. I want to make a show of moving out in the morning, when they’ll likely be scouting our position and determining our actions." The Jackson moved back to the monitor. "While they prepare their offensive during the day, we return in secrecy under the cover of night to take our positions. They will move in during the early hours of the morning. We hold our fire until they are concentrated in the base, and then - BOOM! We rain down hell."

Russel gazed after his commander in awe. The M36 Jackson was a known legend, but he never boasted; never really spoke much at all. Times like these, Russel remembered why he was hailed as a hero, and why he had been chosen to lead the team. “I understand now. Shall we hold a meeting?”

"No; that’ll be too overt. I want you to carry the news to each member individually. Act distressed - you’re delivering "bad news", after all." He smirked. "We’ll give the impression that we’ve made the decision to escape. Go out there and sell it, alright?"

"Yes, sir!" Russel raised his barrel in salute.

Ryan returned the salute. “You’re dismissed.”


	5. Sasha's Aftermath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the wake of Sasha's conquest remain very few survivors. Daniel is one such a rare remnant, but lost and alone in the rolling dunes of an expansive desert, it would seem he may not even survive the day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, tearing you away from the action. Still, this story is comprised of several characters that may initially seem unconnected, but will inevitably find their paths crossed.

Thick sunlight beat down on the open sandy stretches of a tumbling desert, and heat rose from the dunes in heavy waves. A lone M7 struggled across it, its tracks churning up sand and leaving a long trail behind it. The M7’s name was Daniel, and he had been crossing this desert for what felt like his entire existence. His fuel was running low, and he feared his engine would soon stall, stranding him in the shifting sands forever. He’d be buried, still conscious, never to be found again. Running out of fuel was almost worst than destruction.

As he crested yet another tall dune, he spotted a bright, reflective object in the distance. Through the warped haze, he identified a line of tanks. Tanks! In a panic, he fired off a round, desperate to get their attention. He immediately regretted this decision. What if they mistook him for an attacker? He knew how most vehicles were - shoot first, ask questions later. Thinking rapidly, he turned around to present his rear - not a dignified thing to do, but it did show submission. If he could convince them he was not a threat, perhaps they would come his way.

An M46 Patton turned her turret towards the blurry outline of the tank Ivanov had spotted, and frowned. She turned back to the other vehicles that straggled after her, pondering what their next move should be. Her group consisted of refugees, those lucky few who had escaped the wrath of a skilled team that was sweeping across the land, completely undefeated. Her own team had been nearly wiped out - she was the lone survivor. The brutal commander had spared her - he probably wanted her to spread word of his indomitable nature.

"Annie, we gotta take him in." A TOG II* spoke up nervously. "He’s very likely a survivor - like us." The ponderous heavy swiveled his turret to face the distorted shape of the strange tank.

The BT-2 that had spotted the M7 nodded in agreement, traversing right and left in excitement. “Besides, we’re so small. There’s strength in numbers. Every tank that joins us is a blessing.”

Annie turned next to their most recent addition, a rogue M2 MT who’d only agreed to join them out of boredom. “I don’t really care what you decide on doing, so long as you don’t stick him with me.” He turned away, already losing interest in the situation.

"Ivanov, I want you to approach this stranger, and ask him who he is and what he needs. Can you do this?" Annie ignored the M2 MT’s less than enthusiastic response, and instead focused on consulting the rest of the group.

The light quivered in anticipation. “Yes, ma’am!” He saluted sloppily, and quickly shot off across the sandy hills.

Daniel couldn’t believe his view port as a little tank split off from the group, and began to accelerate towards him. _Ah, they’re not shooting me or ignoring me!_ He tried to move forward to meet the stranger halfway, only to discover the last dredges of fuel were gone. _Ah, I’m so stupid! I used it all just idling here…_ Miserably, he waited until the light tank was in shouting range.

"Hail, stranger!" The Russian scout called out cheerily, bouncing lightly over the dunes. "We noticed you appear to be alone, and believed you might be requiring assistance of some kind."

Daniel nodded frantically. “I’m out of fuel! I was running away… but I got lost, and now I’m stuck.” He looked pleadingly at the scout. “Please let me join your team; I promise I’ll contribute, and and, I’m very loyal, I’ll never-“

"Whoa there; no need to beg. We were actually going to invite you to join us, if you were really alone. Out of fuel, you say?" He looked worriedly from the M7 to his companions. "Well, we probably have enough to spare before we reach our destination. I’ll call my friends over." His radio whined and crackled briefly.

Daniel shuttered his view port in relief. He felt very weak now; a result of a lack of fuel. It was strange not to feel the rumbling of his engine, and the stillness made him think of death. _But I’m not dead. I… I got away._ Guilt surged through his empty gas tank. _I couldn’t be the only one! There must have been others. Jonathan was - is! - a competent player - a Tier VI, even! And surely Meggie got away…_

"Hey, you still with me? You’re not getting sleepy on me now are you?" The BT-2 gently nudged him, shaking Daniel from his thoughts.

"Oh! Yeah, just a little. Mind if I ask you where you guys come from?" Thankful for the distraction, the M7 decided to start asking questions.

Ivanov sighed sadly. “We’re all refugees. I assume you are, too.” He observed the M7’s reaction, and continued, “Yup, right on the mark. Annie - she’s like our leader - is a Tier IX. She’s been rescuing any survivors she comes across.”

"What? She’s a Tier IX? Wh-what happened to her team?”

"Nobody knows," Ivanov told him solemnly, "she’ll never say."

The two were interrupted by the shouts of Ivanov’s companions, as they reached him at last. “Hello there, little one.” A soft voice greeted him. “You are safe now. I am Annie. What is your name?” The other tanks gathered around the M7. Most were smiling, barring a grumpy-looking medium.

"Ah! I forgot to ask…" Ivanov said sheepishly. The M7 chuckled at him.

"It’s okay," he looked back to the Patton, "my name is Daniel."


	6. Interlude I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Not a chapter, but instead a break down and summary of the teams and groups of importance.

If you are familiar with World of Tanks, you should also be mostly familiar with the numerous maps available for combat in random battles. Though not typically specified in my story, all events take place on the existing maps from the game. Obviously, Ryan's team is situated in Mountain Pass, as the title of the series and the name of the first chapter suggests. They are situated at the north base, but the entire map is their territory, and there is not another team at the south base. However, you can imagine that this is where Sasha and his team have set up. 

As another example, Daniel's introduction takes place on Sand River. Sasha's flashback to his life-changing battle is on the map Steppes. So far there have been no city maps, but it is my hope that the story will take the characters across as many different maps as I can manage. For the time being, I will present this helpful guide to the characters that tells you their vehicle type, name, team, and position therein.

**_Ryan's Team_ **

**Team Commander** // M36 Jackson - _Ryan_  
**Senior Soldier** // M6 Heavy - _Russel_  
**Senior Soldier** // Ram II - _Michael_  
**Soldier** // M4A3E2 Sherman Jumbo - _Crowley_  
**Soldier** // M4A3E8 Sherman - _Barfly_  
**Sniper** // T67 (TD) - _Soren_  
**Sniper** // M8A1 - _Beatrice_  
**Scout** // M5 Stuart - _Liberty_

**_Sasha's Team_ **

**Team Commander** // KV-5 - _Sasha_  
**Senior Soldier** // T29 - _Eren_  
**Senior Soldier** // T25 AT - _Ramiel_  
**Senior Soldier** // T28 - _Gareth_  
**Soldier** // KV-1 - _Kralik_  
**Scout** // T21 - _Cassidy_  
**Scout** // M3 light - _Honda_  
**Scout** // T-46 - _Mishkova_  
**Mercenary** // G.W. Panther - _Anya_  
**Mercenary** // Bat.-Châtillon 155 58 - _Clovis_  
**Mercenary** // M12 - _Benjamin_  
**Prisoner** // T20 - _Tracey_

**_Annie's Refugees_ **

**Leader** // M46 Patton - _Annie_  
TOG II* - _Steve_  
M7 - _Daniel_  
M2 MT - _Gordon_  
BT-2 - _Ivanov_


	7. Steel Wills

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The KV-1, Kralik, may have saved Tracey from a landslide, but where does that leave her when she's face-to-face with the monstrous heavy responsible for putting her there to begin with?

"I tolerate many of your actions, Kralik, but sometimes I doubt your loyalty when you come to base with stray half-tracks."

Kralik shuddered uncomfortably under the harsh gaze of his commander, an enormous KV-5. Beside him, the beaten hull of a T-20 was getting her tracks re-fitted and repaired. She eyed the towering heavy nervously, too afraid to be offended by his "half-track" remark. Both had returned to a temporary encampment with the help of a T29 and the T25 AT that was working with Tracey now, but once the commander had been woken, the mood had become a lot less cheery.

"Now Sasha; she's just a lousy Tier VII _American_ tank," a Hetzer said loudly, "and you know Kralik's got a soft spot for the weak and helpless. He wouldn't be able to resist himself."

A T-46 added quickly, "What he means to say is, she's no threat to us. Maybe she could even help Kralik stay out of trouble. You've taken in outsiders in the past..." The American heavy and tank destroyer looked from the light to their commander, and nodded.

"You're not all being serious," a scratchy voice protested, "I say we've pitied enough strangers already. Besides, she's the enemy! Could we really trust her?" 

Kralik felt the tension among his team building, but he didn't know what to say or do. At that moment, a scout came skidding in, looking extremely excited. "Commander! The mountain team is retreating!"

All eyes suddenly turned on the little scout. Sasha pushed through the circle, and approached the tiny light slowly and carefully. "Retreating? Now why would they go and do that..."

"That would have likely been my commander's decision." Tracey spoke for the first time, trembling at first, but with growing strength. "He's a competent veteran. No doubt he's judged his enemy to be too powerful to fight without heavy losses. I imagine... they think I'm dead."

Sasha traversed his turret very carefully to look back at the stranger. "They did not... come for you?" He asked slowly.

"No," she replied. "They would not come to retrieve a body - where's the sense in that?"

"They did not even check?" He seemed suddenly distressed. "What kind of team did you serve in?"

Tracey's barrel raised proudly. "They are good comrades; the best I could ask for."

The KV-5 traversed towards her, his gun trained upon her in scrutiny. "They have abandoned you, comrade." He told her quietly. "And so, I will ask you a question." He moved as close and loomed over her. "Do you wish to die, little one?"

"Sasha, please don't kill her!" Kralik cried out, and tried vainly to push Sasha away. "She's done nothing wrong! Please!"

He didn't turn away from Tracey as he snapped, "Silence, Kralik! I asked your friend a simple question."

The T-20 gazed up at the heavy as bravely as she could manage. "No," she said, and the word was a clear note as it drifted through the silent camp.

"Good," Sasha reversed, and turned to face the rest of the team. "I want to welcome our newest recruit. Treat her with respect, teach her our creed, and guide her in our ways." 

Tracey felt a flood of irritation and confusion. "I never agreed to join you!" She yelled after him. The Hetzer chuckled, and she glared at him. "What?"

"Well, we are supposed to 'guide you in our ways', so here's your first lesson. Listen closely, wench; I don't want to repeat myself." He looked about shiftily. "Ya see, we don't just patch up strangers an' send them on their way. Ohhh, no; that's not how Sasha operates at all. You wanna live? You gotta _be_ one of us."

"Sasha would _not_ have killed her in cold fuel," Kralik fired back angrily.

"'Course not! Dumbass... 'e was gonna send her back to her _own_ team... an _then_ we'd have killed her." He laughed at Kralik's horrified face. "Bloody craters, Kralik; you're a fuckin' moron."

Tracey's thoughts raced. "You can't just kill everybody! Have you never heard of surrender?"

"Darling, of course we have." The T25 AT shoved the Hetzer aside, earning him several choice words. "Sasha does not operate in that manner. The name of his game is total annihilation. No surrender. No survivors."

"How could you follow someone like that?" She was beginning to think they were all insane.

The T29 growled, "Our bonds are forged in fire and steel. Our loyalty comes from our dedication to each other. The mission comes second - always. We serve him because we know he will always have our best interests in mind, above all else. So long as we are winning, why quit?"

The T29, T25 AT, and Hetzer all turned away from her as a horn sounded. "We gotta get back to work, lass." The American TD informed her gently. "It's time to get a move on." They moved away from her, leaving only Kralik behind.

The T20's barrel drooped dejectedly. "Oh, what am I going to do?"

"I will take care of you," Kralik offered, "after all, they are right - I always end up with the helping strangers, so I should be responsible for their well-being."

"That's kind of you." Tracey forced a smile. She could tell the KV-1 could do no wrong, and only wanted the best possible treatment for her. Still, it did nothing to quell her sadness. "I suppose we'll make the best of things, yes?"

Kralik traversed excitedly. "Yes! Yes, we will."


	8. Ghost

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rescued from the dunes of Sand River, Daniel finds himself among a strange band of refugees, most fleeing the wrath of Sasha's ever-advancing team. Despite his reservations, with no where else to go Daniel chooses to travel with them - even if it means entering a mysteriously abandoned camp.

Annie's rag-tag group of survivors encapsulated the many kinds of tanks one could encounter in the wide world of tanks. This wasn't about vehicle type - there were no TD's or artillery among the stragglers - it was simply that Daniel could see individuals were here from all tracks of life. From the mysterious Tier IX that led them, to the tagging rogue without a real cause, Daniel was surprised that they got along as well as they did. 

After falling unconscious, he'd woken under the sparse cover of buildings, with an enormous heavy sitting next to him. Daniel had always assumed that when a tank's fuel ran out, that they just sat there forever, doomed to be stuck in the same place but conscious of everything. The curious heavy - whom Daniel had never encountered before - told him in a chuckling English accent that such was not the case.

"It's just a garage tale that older tanks tell Tier I's to remind them to always refuel," the Brit continued. "You're a Tier V and you still believe that silly stuff? Oh, that does tickle me good."

"Oh," Daniel tested his engine tentatively, and after a few false starts, it stuttered back into service. "Hey! I can move again!" He wiggled around on his tracks, grinding out the stiffness in them.

"Good, good!" The heavy nodded his barrel up and down in approval. The rest of his long hull remained motionless.

Daniel looked down the length of it, and worked up the courage to ask. "Pardon my ignorance, but what kind of heavy are you? I've never seen such a sizable-" he stopped suddenly as a ferocious image flashed into his mind. "Ah. Scratch that."

"I am a TOG II*," the heavy said proudly, clearly missing the sudden faltering in Daniel's voice. "My name is Steve."

"Hey you two! I see you're feeling better," the BT-2 that had approached him first came springing up to them. "I scouted out an abandoned base a few kilometers from here; we should be able to scavenge _something_ from it and continue on our way."

Daniel tensed. "An abandoned base? What happened to it?" Privately, he tried to convert kilometers to miles, but the light hadn't specified the increments. He gave up.

"Heck if I know," the light told him matter-of-factly, "but it looks like it's been that way a looong while. The grass in the circle's all grown tall and crazy, and there are weeds taking over the garages. Some of them are even collapsed! It was pretty cool." He excitedly revved his tiny little engine.

"Calm your headlights, noob." Another voice growled from an alley between the adobe structures. "Chances are, you've found nothing but a death trap. Bases aren't abandoned lightly."

The light spun around on the medium. "And what would you know? You're just a Tier III! Stop treating me like I'm fresh off the assembly line!"

Daniel and Steve exchanged a worried look. _Guess I was wrong about everyone getting along..._ Feeling that the situation needed to be diffused, he slipped out from under the bush he'd been tucked in and rolled up between the two.

"Alright, alright; no need to be getting on each other's cases. I'm sure, uh, I'm sure this guy ran his discovery by Annie first." He tensely observed the M2's reaction.

The medium laughed. "That Patton's got more than a few screws loose in that ammo rack of hers. Of _course_ she's going along with this. It's always 'let the group decide'; she never takes authority." He traversed away from them. "Oh well. Guess we should just be ready to move out soon." With that, he rumbled off.

The BT-2 revved angrily. "Oooooh; Gordon's always like that! Why'd we take him in, anyway? If he's sooooooo superior to everyone else, you'd think he could handle it alone!"

"Maybe he's lonely," Steve offered, "I mean, he was alone when we found him..."

Something crashed through one of the buildings beside them, causing Daniel and the BT-2 to startle and accidentally crash into each other.

"Oh, dear; I am sorry." It was Annie, looking embarrassed about destroying the structure. "Even you navigate these tight spaces better than I, Steve." 

"You're alright, darling." Steve said kindly. "I had plenty of that in my youth."

Daniel, after apologizing quietly to the light, turned back to the Patton. "Uhhh, are we really going to go to that abandoned base? I kind of agree with... with Gordon. It just seems like bad news to me."

"If you do not wish to enter the base, you do not have to. Steve and I can collect any supplies and resources we come across." She moved past them, turning her turret to look back. "Alright, Ivanonv. Lead the way!"


	9. Morning Clash

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Morning creeps over the mountains, and Sasha's team is moving in to take the mountain base they believe to be abandoned by Ryan's team. However, this is not the case - the mountain team is waiting for just the right moment to strike. May the best team win!

Tucked between high mountains, an abandoned base remained in shadow, despite the rising sun chasing away the darkness of the passing night. Frost coated the flagpole in the center, and a white flag had been raised to show the neutrality of the territory. At the base of a glacier that led up to this point, a large group of tanks had gathered in an orderly fashion, headed by a single behemoth. This heavy tank was a KV-5, and his name was Sasha. Sasha and his team waited tensely for a report from their scout, an A-20. 

The light tank had just reached the crest of the incline, and was darting around the big circle in search of any dangers. His turret turned wildly, and his engine thrummed in anxious excitement. He'd started his life under Sasha's watch as a mere BT-2, but he was really going places now. He eagerly awaited his next upgrade.

But this, unfortunately, would not come. A shot rang out, easily pierced the A-20's armor, and buried itself in his ammo rack. Dazed, he skidded to an awkward halt, crashing into the mighty wall of stone that was the mountain. _I think I've been hit,_ he concluded, _I'm sorry, Sasha... guess I'm capped out._ Another shot slammed into him, and the vehicle went up in flames. 

The triumphant sniper - a T49 - radioed his sister quickly to boast. "Did ya see that, Beatrice? _That's_ how you off a scout in two shots. Ammo rack first, to knock 'em silly; then it's just a matter of not missing the second shot - which is EASY, of course." He chuckled. "Watch and learn - one day you'll be just like me."

"Hush, Soren. You talk too much." Ryan's deep tone came over the radio to reprimand him.

"S-sorry, sir!" Soren immediately shut up, and the tense waiting resumed.

Down below, some of the senior members were becoming impatient. "We gonna wait all day or what?" The T29, Eren, growled from his line. 

Ramiel, the T25 AT, rotated and thwacked the heavy's treads in warning. "Know your place, you idiot." He traversed back into his usual position.

"Sir!" A T21 rolled up to Sasha hurriedly. "The Bat Chat reports some bad news. Our scout has been eliminated, sir." She rolled back and forth, a nervous habit of hers that she couldn't seem to shake. "It seems the base was not abandoned, as we'd hoped."

"I expected as much," Sasha said quietly.

Eren growled, "But didn't we see them leaving? It could just be a tank gone rogue. It doesn't matter anyway; we have the muscle to overpower them." Ramiel shifted next to him, though it was unclear whether or not he agreed or disagreed with the heavy.

Sasha turned to face the glacier once more. "It's time. waiting any longer will be a waste of fuel." He gunned his engine, and slowly his large form began to move up the incline. "Team, roll out!"

On a high ridge, the Angel Mercenaries were silent as the opening day. Nothing living stirred in these high, rocky places, and all was covered in a thin veil of snow and frost. It had melted where the heat of the SPG's engines emanated off their hulls. Artillery had an extraordinary ability like no other tank or tank destroyer. It was as if the RNG gods had taken pity on the otherwise weak vehicles - their armor was nothing to boast, and most artillery could not run away at great speed. With such a large and powerful gun, what could such an awkward SPG hope to achieve? The answer lay in their sight. From their stationary vantage point, the three could see far beyond the view range of even the best scouts. Artillery had a bird's eye view the world, as if they themselves were gods, picking and choosing who would live and who would die under their tireless rain of fire. Tanks rarely knew the source of the fire when it hit them, for while they could not see their attacker, the arty watched patiently from above.

At this moment, the Angels watched their comrades rolling up towards the base, some taking the route up the glacier, while others went around up to the more open path. The base had plenty of cover and would normally be a great place to defend from - but that was only if there was no artillery bombardment. Despite Eren's confidence, Sasha was convinced the enemy team had not truly abandoned the area, and so the three arties sat, waiting to strike when the first target lit up. Down below, each group moved in silence. The only sound came from Sasha, as he gave careful orders to each tank. They were close to the base now - they could even see the flagpole and the careful stacks of supplies at the center of the base. Yet, no shells had flown since the scout was hit, and it was beginning to make some of the vehicles nervous.

Ramiel, the T25 AT, stopped before cresting on the glacier. Eren, a T29, paused with him. Cassidy buzzed behind them, waiting for her orders, but feeling nervous about going in first. The other light was destroyed before he could report positions - what fate awaited her? Eren barked at her to be still, and so she slowed her frantic pacing. Her radio told her the rest of the team was reaching their positions. Along the other pass, Kralik and Sasha prepared to lead the charge. The remaining members of the team hovered behind their respective group leaders, some on the glacier, others with Sasha. Tension built. Engines hummed eagerly. Day was breaking. And the battle for Mountain Pass was about to begin.

Sasha roared forward, slow but unstoppable, bearing down on the enemy base. Kralik followed after him, feeling pride swelling in his fuel tank. _What luck to be led by such a great leader,_ he marveled. The T21, Cassidy, burst forward from her position, timing her arrival to coincide with Sasha's. They wanted Sasha to be spotted first, so that Cassidy would not have all the attention on her when she did her scouting run. Still no shots rang out across the mountain tops. The team continued to press into the base. Cassidy crossed over the capture circle, and sirens blared out over the valleys and weathered stone. 

"What did I tell ya?" Eren smirked at Ramiel as he started his engine. "Nothing to it. I don't know who rack'd our first scout, but I'm sure we'll make short work of him soon." He rumbled up the glacier the last stretch of the way.

Ramiel still wasn't convinced, and continued to hold his position despite Cassidy whining on his radio to come forward already. The sirens wailed. Engines growled. The air itself crackled with frost and tension. Something was not right; he just knew it. Ramiel quickly radioed the M12.

"You as unsure as I am right now?" He murmured.

"Quite the opposite, sir." The arty replied. "I'm _sure_ they're still here. A tree just went down. They're in the mountains, sir."

"Oh, is that so? Well that'll make things more interesting." He peered over the cusp of the ridge, out at the shrouded cliffs that surrounded the base. Trees and bushes provided excellent cover for a camouflaged and unmoving vehicle - the perfect trap. Trap. It was a trap!

"Hey, boss? I don't mean to alarm you but..." His warning was too late. 

Guns exploded all around the gathering enemy team, suddenly lighting up the snipers that surrounded them. Cassidy took a shot to her track, ripping the capture down significantly. She darted away, looking around wildly and wondering how she'd missed them so completely. It had be so quiet; how... but of course. With their engines off, completely unmoving, they'd be undetectable, just like a dead tank. They were risking immobility in order to obtain complete invisibility, which was as genius as it was crazy. 

Kralik had taken a severe hit to his engine, and it hurt like hell. He swung his turret around, looking for a target, any target. To his horror, he found himself staring down the barrel of a Jackson. _I guess that's it then,_ he thought hopelessly, _at least I'll die in his great shadow._ But more accurately, he was about to live in it. Before the Jackson could fire again, Sasha's enormous form swept in front of the smaller heavy, shielding him from any further hits. Seeing the KV-5's barrel turning to him, the Jackson started his engine and pulled back into the shrubs. 

"Great leader!" Kralik sobbed.

"Hush, Kralik. You need to pull back." Sasha told him in a stern but soft voice.

"Hey boss, we gonna call in that air strike or what?" Eren yelled as he fired at the spot where an M6 had sat only moments before. To his frustration, the shot hit only dirt. "Let's wipe them off the face of the earth forever, eh?"

"Angels...?" Sasha radioed the three of them. "What can you hit?"

The French SPG spoke first. "This is the shittiest territory for us artillery, I'll have you know." He told Sasha in a condescending voice.

The G.W. Panther let out a sigh. "Not much, sir. They've learned a thing or two since last battle."

"Uh, great leader..." Kralik whimpered. "I can not move." He declared, flashing an embarrassed smile.

"What? Both your tracks are intact." Sasha tried to sort out all of the information pouring in through his radio at the same time. Eren's hanging question, the artillery bickering, Cassidy's frantic reports... "Then someone needs to tow you back."

Eren burst in. "We don't have time for his weak crud! It's survival of the fittest out here, and if he can't make it on his own, then so be it." Eren took another shot at the M6, finally landing a hit just before it disappeared from sight again. A shot landed in the dirt just inches from his lower glacis, and the splash stung. "Ow!"

Sasha's gun smoked. "You speak like that again about a fellow comrade, and I will put one in your rack." Eren's barrel bobbed nervously, and he shuffled further away from the KV-5 in search of his quarry. "Now, Kralik, I could take you back."

Kralik shook his head frantically. "Oh, no; you can not abandon the rest! You need to be here, to lead us! Eren is probably right... I only cause you trouble, after all... bringing in strays and all that."

A metaphorical light bulb went off in Sasha's mind. "You are brilliant. That T20 could get you out of here. They will not shoot at her, after all."

"What if she shoots me?" Kralik asked nervously.

"We've already emptied her ammo rack, remember? No shells. She'll do it. She has to. You saved her, yes? Now she can repay the favor."


	10. Goliath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What was that?! At the abandoned base, Daniel sees an enormous shadow flashing through the heavy rain - maybe the base really _is_ haunted after all! Only one way to find out...

Night was falling by the time Daniel's adoptive team reached the old abandoned base Ivanov had scouted out. As the sun dipped behind the horizon, they all felt the welcome relief of the temperature drop, and their metal hulls snapped and creaked as they cooled. Storm clouds clustered and piled up to the east, warning of an approaching downpour. This worried Daniel - he didn't fancy having to stay the night in abandoned and possibly haunted garage. The other tanks weren't saying much, apart from Gordon, who muttered and cursed from time to time as he trailed along behind the rest. The only one behind him was Steve, as his enormous hull slowed him down considerably. Daniel hoped Gordon wasn't being too mean to him; it wasn't anything Steve could help, after all.

Ahead, shadowy structures were outlined against the last deep crimson rays of the setting sun, and a flagpole stretched up to the sky, though no banner hung there. They stopped at last, careful not to cross into the circle, and waited for Steve and Gordon to catch up. Daniel felt more than his cooling hull creaking within him - this place was even more frightening than he'd imagined. Annie's voice brought him out of his worried thoughts.

"Alright, here is what we will do. A storm is coming, and night has fallen. We will take shelter here, gather any useful supplies we can find, and leave early in the morning." She turned to Gordon sharply. "You will help Daniel and Steve find and clean up some garages where we can rest."

Gordon made an exasperated sound. "Aw, can't they do it themselves?" Annie rolled towards him threateningly. "Okokok! Not a problem, bossy." He turned and began rolling towards the bigger structures beyond the base. "This way, boys; ol' Gordon's got you covered."

Daniel looked back at Ivanov and Annie. "And you'll be alright, then?" Steve carefully passed behind him, trundling along slowly after Gordon. Daniel muttered quickly that he'd be with them in a bit.

Ivanov drove in a quick, excited circle, gun barrel bobbing up and down. "Uh-huh! Worry not, friend; no harm could come to us so long as Annie's around." Annie rolled up beside him, gently motioning for him to calm down a bit.

"There is nothing to fear, young one. You go and get some rest; we will take care of everything else."

As Daniel hurried after Gordon and Steve, he still couldn't shake a prickling feeling, as though they were being watched...

//

The midnight hour was approaching. Overhead, the storm raged full-force, whipping up howling winds and pounding the leaky rooftops of the garages with torrents of rain. Daniel shivered miserably, now thinking he'd give anything to have that blazing sun on his back once more. Anything was better than this torment. Worst of all, he just couldn't sleep, no matter how hard he tried. Steve had even given him his camouflage net - which was far too big for Daniel - but while the heavy snoozed peacefully beside him, Daniel rocked up and down on his suspension restlessly. He stared out towards the base, as the door had long since rusted away, and hoped the night would be over soon. Suddenly, in a flash of lightning, he saw an enormous shadow cast against the far storehouse. Daniel's engine spluttered into life, and he reversed frantically, crashing into Gordon's flank.

"What the- watch it, moron!" The medium woke angrily, firing a warning shot, which in turn awakened the slumbering heavy.

"Huh? Hey, you blokes; wot's this then...?" Steve slurred out, turning his turret slowly, disoriented. 

Gordon shoved Daniel away fiercely. "This idiot just slammed into my side for no damn reason," he growled, "what's he doing awake anyway? You know we're leaving early, right? How the hell am I gonna go back to sleep now, in a storm like this, ya bastard?" Gordon loaded another shell, and revved his engine meaningfully.

Daniel looked back and forth between the angry medium and the confused heavy, still frightened by what he'd seen. "There's something huge out there," he confessed in a breaking voice, "I saw its shadow! Something's here, and I think it's very bad news!" Daniel traversed to look back out into the rain, feeling nearly manic. Fierce images of an enormous heavy tank, emblazoned with a blood-red star, were coursing through his mind. 

"Alright, Daniel, let's not jump to conclusions. That shadow could 'ave been anything. Why don't we go and 'ave a looksie? I'm a big bloke myself; shan't be anything to fear." It would seem that Steve's accent only thickened when he was half-asleep. Daniel nodded anyway, only vaguely understanding what the heavy had just said.

"Okay, wait, are you expecting me to go out in _that_?" Gordon asked disbelievingly. "Oho, nooo; look pal, you got yourself into this mess, and you're gonna get yourself out of it, 'k? And I'm gonna have no part in your idiotic gallivanting."

"Oh, come now Gordon," Steve cooed, "it'll be an adventure! Maybe you'll get to beat up some fool on the way, eh?" Steve knew Gordon could hardly resist a fight, and Annie was never much one for conflict, if she could avoid it. 

Gordon stared at the heavy. "Alright, alright; I'll go with you, ya great big pisser. And you too, ya baby." Gordon shoved past Daniel and out into the downpour. "Well? What are you idiots waiting for; an engraved invitation? Let's go!"

Steve turned to Daniel with a smile. "You just 'ave to say the magic words, and he's right as rain."

Together they pressed onward. Daniel left the camo net behind, as he didn't want to drag it through the mud. The softened terrain made the already sluggish heavy even less maneuverable, much to Gordon's frustration, but really none of them wanted to separate. At night, the base was even scarier, and the wind and rain just made the atmosphere worse. Daniel jumped at every noise, while Gordon strained not to shoot at every noise - including Daniel. They searched around the garages first, but found nothing. Daniel was starting to wonder if he'd imagined it. He was probably just having night terrors or something; memories from that horrible- he forced himself to stop thinking about it.

"Well? Big things don't just vanish. You got an overactive imagination, huh?" Gordon laughed, nudging Daniel with a track. 

"Aha, maybe..." Daniel admitted, trying hard not to meet anyone's view ports. Then he saw it again, a shadow moving quickly across a building. "There! It's there!"

"No, no, no; if that was the shadow, than it would be- oh." Steve began to argue, then stopped abruptly.

"What? What is it? Where do I shoot, damn it?" Gordon was practically hopping on his suspension, raring to go.

Steve let out a relieved chuckle. "I found our goliath, boys." He began to roll towards some empty stacked jerry cans. The mediums exchanged a confused look, and crept after him anxiously. Steve stopped, and motioned for them to do the same. "It's alright little guy, he's not really gonna shoot you."

"I'm not?" Gordon sputtered.

"Little guy?" Daniel gasped.

From behind the canisters, something darted quickly to Steve's tracks, cowering behind the heavy and peeking out at the other two. If it was a tank, it was the smallest and funniest one Daniel had ever seen. He began to laugh, relieved. Gordon started chuckling as well, albeit more out of nervousness. 

"What _is_ it?" Gordon finally asked, looking back up at Steve.

"It's a Goliath; the little blighter," Steve giggled, "isn't he cute?" The Goliath wiggled on its tracks, as if trying very hard to be very cute. It was working.

Daniel smiled. "Very cute," he glanced nervously at Gordon beside him, who was starting to shake. "You, uh, are you okay?"

Gordon was looking again at the Goliath. It whined and clicked at him, almost curiously. He seemed to be thinking quite intensely. "Can we keep it?"


	11. Consequences

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kralik has been hit, and his only hope lies in the prisoner taken from the very team they are fighting. Will she comply with the request? Or does she have something else in mind? The battle for the mountain pass is approaching its conclusion - but just what does that mean for the two battling teams?

In their positions of relative cover, Ryan's team rallied at the sight of their foes scrambling to react. The Jackson's plan was working perfectly, but he knew better than to cheer so early on in a battle. It wasn't over yet, and the tier 8 still posed a major threat to their survival. Even one of its shots was a sure kill for most of them, and it didn't even really need to get lucky. For some reason though, it hadn't advanced upon them yet, and instead was shielding the KV-1 from their fire. He reasoned they might be relatives, though it was still unusual. Russel had taken a hit from the T29 already, and while it was a miracle he'd survived the hit, it'd be near impossible for him to live through another. The heavy sheltered behind a rock, cursing.

Crowley snarled over the radio with every shot, focusing on keeping the light away from the base. "Dance little girl; dance!" He cackled, pulling back as a large shell whizzed towards him. "Oops, missed me! Ahahaha!"

The shooter, Ramiel, wordlessly retreated to reload, not about to let meaningless baited words get the better of him. The T29 took his place, wondering where the M6 had disappeared off to.

"Keep it down, brother!" Barfly hissed at the Jumbo. "I'm trying to concentrate... if I don't hit their weak points exactly right, I'm wasting ammo!"

"Oh yeah? Well _this_ keeps me focused, so if you don't wanna hear it, tune into a different channel."

There was a guffaw from a nearby Ram II. "Nothing like a brother's squabble to get my blood going for a battle." A spume of dirt fountained up in front of the two Shermans, and Michael laughed even harder. "Pay attention you lousy idiots!"

Barfly squeaked and went silent, while Crowley decided to resort to just muttering nasty words to himself. He watched curiously as the T21 shot down the slope and away from the base. "Yeah, you better run..."

"Oh, nice; the Tier V's gonna tell the VI's how to do their job," Beatrice snorted aside to her own brother. "Just because he upgraded premium doesn't mean he knows a damn thing." She put a neat shell into the T25 AT's weak point as he retreated, having spent his shell on a bounce off the rock Ryan was taking cover behind.

"Look who's a kettle calling the pot black, eh?" Soren sneered back. " _You're_ just a tier IV." Pebbles and earth washed over his flank as one of the KV-5's shells landed just millimeters from his hull. He felt the stinging burn of the explosion cascade over him next, and winced before pulling back as far as he could.

Over the squabbles, Ryan's strong voice arose. "All of you! Get your barrels out of your exhaust pipes and keep shooting! By the arty gods; if only I had a shot for every word you lot have blathered so far..." He scanned the battlefield, puzzled. Why were they being so reserved? Why had none of them advanced upon their positions? Certainly, Ryan's plan had caught the attackers by surprise, but by this point it was no mystery as to what was happening to them. His sights drifted back to the KV-5. Its distinctive hull gleamed in the fiery red of the rising sun, still as stone, barring the slow swing of its turret as it went back and forth between targets.

Cassidy, in the meantime, raced back down the mountain side. Now left to her private thoughts, she could admit that she was a little scared, and somewhat thankful to be leaving the battle. Still, this plan seemed... crazy. Why should that captive T20 listen to their orders? Sure, it wasn't like she could do much else, but _still_. She could also easily stay put. They could threaten to kill her, but that could end up just being a tank for a tank - if they didn't get Kralik out of that bottleneck soon, he'd wind up just as dead. She cursed aloud as she reached the edge of their makeshift base, where some of the lower tiers where looking after things.

"Oi, noobs! Orders from the top! We gotta move the prisoner to the battlefield, A-S-A-P!" She skidded to a halt, drifting past a startled line of younger vehicles and one stunned tier VII medium.

Tracey gaped at the light. "You're joking, right?" The others seemed to be of the same impression.

Cassidy fired over their turrets angrily. "I don't have time for any arguments. Kralik's engine is out, and he needs to be towed out of there! That's what _you're_ gonna do." She rammed lightly into the medium's hull. "Now, _come on_!"

Tracey recalled the sheepish KV-1, and sighed to herself. It would be such a wretched thing to let him die, when she already knew he wasn't the sort to do the same thing. He's saved her once. It seemed only fair and just. "Alright. I'll follow you."

Cassidy's engine revved. "That's what I like to hear! Let's roll out!"

The two nearly identical tanks tore back to base at top speed, tearing up the frosty ground with their treads. They could hear the shots ringing through the mountains, even from here. Every echoing shot sent a quiver through Tracey's fuel lines. That was her team, fighting for their livelihoods up there. Their home, their way of life, everything. Could she really go through with this? They'd see her as a traitor, surely. Or... what if she made an ultimatum? What if, for once in her life, she stood her ground? She had a chance to make things right here, a chance to settle things once and for all. She steeled herself, powering forward with more resolve than ever before. That was right - she needed to resolve this, here and now. No fuelshed, no fire.

They reached the crest. Cassidy slowed to a stop, but Tracey kept going, careening into the clearing. She slid past the T29, causing him to reverse in shock. The KV-5's turret turned to look at her, clearly confused as to the situation. From their positions all around, Ryan's team watched, baffled, as their dead teammate reappeared before their eyes.

"EVERYBODY, STOP FIGHTING! RIGHT NOW!" Tracey, seeing she had everyone's attention, yelled with all the strength she could muster. The shots stopped. The dust began to settle. All view ports where on her now. She glanced around nervously, feeling her fuel pulsing hot within her. "I have a proposition to make."

Beside Ryan, the M6 jolted forward. "Tracey..." He croaked in disbelief.

"Russel, don't startle them!" Ryan hissed in warning. "That T29's got the hots for you as it is. _Pull back_!" He turned his attention back to the scene unfolding below him.

Sasha gave the T20 a hard stare, trying to judge her actions and if it was another part to the enemy's plan. "Are you looking for a cease fire?" He asked sternly.

The T29 started laughing. "Cease fire? Pah! C'mon, boss; they know their beat and they're just getting desperate. Let's finish them off and dispose of her, too." Eren advanced on the medium, grinning viciously. "It's a shame though; she's a pretty one."

"Enough, Eren!" Sasha spat. "Where is your leader? I should like to be able to speak with him face-to-face during this time."

Without a word, a Jackson emerged from the shadows and rolled down the slope to meet the enemy. "Aye. A sound agreement, I should think." He dipped his turret to the heavy as a gesture of respect, to which Sasha did the same. Both looked now back to Tracey.

Realizing it was her turn to speak again, she shook away her nervousness. "This is about territory to you, right Commander Sasha?" The KV-5 nodded. "I thought so. Well, this is my home you're attacking, and these are my friends and family. I would hate to see all of that go to ruin." She heard the T29 scoff behind her, but ignored him. "Especially since I can see that family and friends are also important to you."

Kralik, from behind Sasha's girth, perked up as she spoke. _She means me, I think! Well, it is true - Sasha would never let a team member die, if he can possibly help it. We are a family!_

"So, I guess I want to ask a favor and make an offer. In exchange for leaving my team and territory be, we can help repair Kralik and get him up and running again. Additionally, I... I will join you." She looked back at Ryan. "I mean - if those conditions are acceptable with you, of course."

From the slopes, a large form erupted, showering them with small rocks and debris. Russel thundered into the clearing, looking frantic. "Tracey! You can't be serious; join _them_? What about _us_? We're small enough as it is!"

She gave him a pained look, but Ryan spoke before she could. "Please, Russel. Those are good terms for us. We weren't going to make it much longer otherwise." He moved closer to Sasha. "Would you accept those conditions? We can part some some fuel and spare parts as well, if you have a long journey ahead of you."

Sasha considered this. He believed himself to be a tank of honor, and would listen to reason. And here was an unusual opportunity - an _ally_. With a team in the mountains, a critical position across the world map, he'd feel much more secure about his own expanding territory. "I have a better proposal. I accept all of those terms - and offer more. How does and alliance sound, my friend?"

Russel pulled back slightly, genuinely surprised. It was a lucrative deal, certainly - such a powerful ally was not something you could often find on a daily basis. Turning an offer like that down was plain stupid. It would also mean that Tracey would no longer be a prisoner, but more of a proof of trust. "That is a very generous offer. I accept."

"It is settled, then." Sasha declared. "Eren, Ramiel; I want you to fall back to camp now. Cassidy, I want you in charge of organizing supply transfers with an ally of this base. I will remain with Kralik and see that he is taken care of." Finally, he turned slowly to look down at the T20. She quaked in her tracks under his gaze. "Tracey, was it? Say your final goodbyes to friends. We will not linger on these slopes."

Tracey nodded quickly, and as soon as he'd released her from his sights, she scrambled to Russel's panicked side. "Hey, big guy; calm down." She slowed gently as she reached him.

"I-I thought you were _dead_!" He gasped. "Then you just... show up like this? And now you're leaving again?" He winced, the heavy shot from the T29 starting to ache now as the rush died away and was replaced with fear. "I mean... why? Why does it have to be you?"

The T20 sighed again. "I'm sorry. It's just convenient, I guess." She sat with him in silence for a while. "I mean, with our teams being allies now, I'll probably get to see you again. In a way, this is probably the best possible outcome for both teams."

Russel nodded glumly. "I know that... I mean, logically. Still hurts. Though, you're right - I will get to see you again, won't I? Only, maybe next time I'll be a T29! And maybe you'll be a Pershing. Won't that be something?" The gleam started to come back to him, and Tracey smiled.

"Yes," she responded softly. "It'll definitely be something." The sun continued its climb far above them, and the sky was blue and cloudless, a crisp breeze flowing through the icy cliffs. The battle for the mountain pass was over at last, but a journey was soon to begin, and with it, new challenges and dangers were sure to come.


	12. New Pets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Annie's rag-tag band of refugees have just adopted the incredibly cute Goliath, a small tracked mine they discovered in the abandoned base. Though undeniably adorable, it is yet uncertain if the tiny terror will be a boon or a bother - good thing it's just been given the opportunity to prove its worth for all to see!

Daybreak on the abandoned base came wreathed in warm light and silence, a welcome reprieve from the night's downpour. Five tanks gathered around the storehouse, ready to make one last check around before departing. Beforehand, however, there was a discussion to be had regarding one very small Goliath.

"But we gotta keep him!" Gordon was arguing with Annie now, having staunchly taken up the opinion that the machine, as little as it was, still counted as a refugee and needed to come with them.

The Patton was not so sure. "Are you seriously suggesting we feed the little monster our precious fuel? We scrape by as it is." She glanced around at the others, trying to gauge how they felt about the situation.

The M2 MT wasn't about to be beat, though. "Oi! I didn't get my internal compartment all full of rainwater just to leave him - or her, I guess - behind!" He rocked back and forth on his suspension to demonstrate this point. The distinctive sound of water sloshing could be heard over the low growl of his engine. No open-turreted tank enjoyed the sensation of their inner workings being swamped with water.

Steve, feeling he should put in a good word, interjected. "Annie, the Goliath may prove useful to us on our journey. After all, we've no proper scout to speak of - no offense, Ivanov." He dipped his barrel to the Russian light.

"None taken, sir." Ivanov insisted. "I'm just a tier II! Daniel would probably be more suited to the task."

Annie sighed. "How about a vote, then? Am I to understand that you are in favor of taking the Goliath with us, Steve?"

"That would be correct, ma'am."

"Oh! Oh! He could be just like a playmate!" Ivanov hopped around them excitedly, splashing up muddy water onto his companions. Gordon growled in warning, and the light stopped, looking sheepish. "Oh... sorry."

"I don't think it should be any problem," Daniel finally said. "So I guess that means we've reached a unanimous decision. The Goliath stays."

Seeing the enthusiasm in their eyes, Annie relented. Well, it would give them something to keep their minds off of other troubles. "Alright. The Goliath stays. Now... does it have a name? Are they... I mean, can they understand us?"

Steve looked thoughtful. "Somewhat, I s'pect. Kind of like how dogs and humans were. Er. Maybe you lot don't know much about humans, though." He turned away, embarrassed. "Ah well. The point is, while it can understand us, it can't really talk back. It's all about the body language, see?"

They looked down at the creature which, upon realizing it had their attention, started to vibrate in excitement, clicking at them.

"Amazing," Gordon muttered. "Well, I've no choice but to take responsibility for the darned mite. C'mere, boy! Help ol' Gordon out and open up that lower hatch."

On cue, the small contraption darted under his hull, kicking up mud in its haste. There was a click and the sound of draining water.

"Look, boys! I'm takin' a piss! Hah!"

They all groaned in unison.

"Alright alright; but that _does_ feel better."

Having gathered up the meager supplies they could around the base, the group pressed onward to the west and away from the advancing clan. They were not the only ones traveling across the country to escape Sasha's reign of terror. Many refugees had fled their captured lands, but there were also rogues who wished not to get forcibly recruited as mercenaries crossing the maps to find quieter places in which to proceed as normal. They were about to meet one such a rogue.

Goliath, whom they'd tentatively started calling "Tiger" as a play on the huge Tiger tanks, zipped along in front of them on the road, occasionally circling back to play underneath their hulls and dart through their tracks. Steve called it instinct; Goliaths were once used as remote controlled vehicles to blow off a tank's tracks. This made everyone except Steve and Gordon rather nervous, though the heavy didn't seem to make the connection.

Suddenly, Tiger made a flurry of clicks and piping noises before shooting back to Gordon and cowering beside his treads. "What's up, little monster?" Gordon whispered, glaring around suspiciously. The wind combed through the grasses and shrubs. The sun sparkled in a clear blue sky. Birds sang, and insects buzzed. But something wasn't right.

Just as he was about to drop his guard, there was an eruption of sound from behind them, and Steve yelped in fright. The five of them traversed their turrets as quickly as they could manage, and to their horror, found themselves staring down the enormous barrel of a T34. The heavy's gun was pointed directly at Steve's ammo rack, and there was an unmistakably desperate look to the vehicle that told them there was to be no funny business, if they wanted their friend to live.

No one moved at first. Annie, knowing full well when she was beat, spoke first. "Well? What do you want, stranger?"

As a loner or rogue, there was little to guess about his intentions. Traveling alone meant having to scavenge, hunt, or ambush weaker teams and tanks to get supplies and fuel. The T34 was obviously in the business of laying careful traps, and was no noob to the business. He met Annie's stern expression with an equally cold one.

"I'm sure you know the drill. All of your fuel is now mine. Don't comply, and there'll be a hot one blowing your buddy's shells out before you can even load one."

Gordon couldn't resist himself. "Hah! You're assuming I don't have one loaded right now!" He waved his stumpy barrel in the best impression of aggression that he could manage. To a Tier VIII, however, the effect was laughable.

"Oh? And what are you going to do with that water gun of yours? Splash me to death? I doubt you even have the capability of knocking my tracks off."

And that's when inspiration struck him. Daniel looked carefully back at Tiger, hoping that the preoccupied heavy hadn't seen it yet. It was risky, but what if they could trick this attacker into believing that Goliath was more than he seemed? After all, not even Annie, a tier IX, had ever heard of such a curiosity. His mind raced as he watched Ivanov carefully despositing their carefully collected fuel by the T34's tracks. Now, while they're busy...

"Pst! Tiger! C'mere boy; I have a job for you." Daniel whispered frantically to the Goliath, trying not to attract unwanted attention. Tiger perked, moving a small distance away from Gordon's tracks.

"What do you think you're doing? Trying to get us killed, huh?" Gordon snapped at Daniel without looking away from the heavy.

"Steve said Goliath might be useful, and I have a plan. Just _roll with it, okay_?" Gordon begrudgingly stopped complaining and encouraged the Goliath to go join Daniel. When it had reached him, Daniel gave it careful instructions...

The T34 looked over the meager offerings carefully. "That's it? Really?"

"What do you expect? We're no team; just refugees fleeing Sasha's dominion. You don't expect us to empty our own fuel tanks next, do you?"

The T34 was about to say something, but Daniel interrupted him. "Actually, I'm going to ask you to give it all back, or we'll blow out your guts so hard, your turret flies ten feet from your hull!" Daniel did his best to keep his voice steady and sure as he spoke. Both Annie and the heavy looked at him in confusion.

"What the hell are you talking about?" He snapped. "Like you lot could even put a scratch on me. Your Patton, sure, but even she'd need more than one shot."

Gordon was quickly catching on. "Well, that may be true... but do you have a Goliath on _your_ side?" He grinned in delight.

The T34 scoffed. "Well, I don't see one on _your_ side, either." What kind of stupid trick were they trying to play?

Steve, seeing where this was all going, tried not to giggle and added, "Oh, that's the good part - it's not with us, it's _under you_." 

"Wha-?" The rogue tried to reverse away, but Tiger easily paced with him, beeping in what it hoped was a menacing way. "The hell is that thing?"

Ivanov started pulling fuel cans back. "It's a mine!" He piped up enthusiastically. "A remote mine! Pretty sweet, yes? Steve carries them in that big hull of his!"

Annie rolled towards the T34, getting between him and Steve. "We don't want this to end badly, and neither do you, I should think." She gave him a critical look. "What is your name, stranger?"

"You first," he managed to rumble, despite his obvious nervousness.

"I am Annie, and this is my band of refugees. I am trying to take them to safety, and hopefully integrate them back into new teams where they can continue on with their lives." She started to circle him - an uncomfortable situation for any heavy - and continued. " _You_ could prove very helpful in this endeavor. What do you think?"

Gordon snorted. "Buddy, just say yes. She's not the kind of lady tank you want to fool around with, _trust me_."


	13. Interlude II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Introducing an updated character roster to hopefully help keep all the characters organized for your convenience. Currently, the roster is composed only of tanks I currently own* or have owned in the past, but in the future the story will feature a much more diverse cast. Cheers!
> 
> *Well, with the exception of the mercenary artillery; I own none of those tanks haha.

**_Ryan's Team_ **

**Team Commander** // M36 Jackson - _Ryan_  
**Senior Soldier** // M6 Heavy - _Russel_  
**Senior Soldier** // Ram II - _Michael_  
**Soldier** // M4A3E2 Sherman Jumbo - _Crowley_  
**Soldier** // M4A3E8 Sherman - _Barfly_  
**Sniper** // T67 (TD) - _Soren_  
**Sniper** // M8A1 - _Beatrice_  
**Scout** // M5 Stuart - _Liberty_

**_Sasha's Team_ **

**Team Commander** // KV-5 - _Sasha_  
**Senior Soldier** // T29 - _Eren_  
**Senior Soldier** // T25 AT - _Ramiel_  
**Senior Soldier** // T28 - _Gareth_  
**Soldier** // KV-1 - _Kralik_  
**Scout** // T21 - _Cassidy_  
**Scout** // M3 light - _Honda_  
**Scout** // T-46 - _Mishkova_  
**Mercenary** // G.W. Panther - _Anya_  
**Mercenary** // Bat.-Châtillon 155 58 - _Clovis_  
**Mercenary** // M12 - _Benjamin_  
**Representative** // T20 - _Tracey_

**_Annie's Refugees_ **

**Leader** // M46 Patton - _Annie_  
TOG II* - _Steve_  
M7 - Daniel  
M2 MT - _Gordon_  
BT-2 - _Ivanov_  
**Pet** // Goliath // _Tiger_


	14. Hired Muscle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The battle at the Mountain Pass is over, but Sasha's conquest is far from done. Clovis, one of the three members of the Angel Mercenaries, gets a taste of how Sasha deals with insubordination. Silently among the team, Tracey wonders about what the future holds.

The sun had nearly climbed to its apogee as a line of three SPGs carefully picked their way down the mountainside. The general aura was that of discontent, mainly from the French arty. None of them had ever found a clear shot, despite their clever position higher in the mountain than most artillery dared climb. Now, the daring move looked pointless and laughable, serving only to irritate the French SPG more. As the temporary camp came into sight, he let out a long, frustrated sigh.

"Why are we doing this again?" He growled back at his long-time friend, the M12. They'd begun their lives as tier I's together, never separating as they advanced through the tiers. The French arty had chosen to upgrade to the SPG class out of consideration for his friend, the M12, who'd been afraid of the jeering and general bullying that came with venturing into one of the most hated classes.

"It's not going to be glory and fire all of the time, you know." The G.W. Panther was another story. She'd come to their trio from an esteemed German team, hoping to train her further by sending her to the elite Angel Mercenaries. They'd never really clicked, but when it was battle the way they could sync so cohesively was impressive even to an amateur.

"Anya's right, you know." The M12 tried chuckling to lighten the mood. "We had our chance to shine yesterday. Today just wasn't our day. Come on, Clovis; cheer up! We won, didn't we?"

Evidently, these were the wrong words for the M12's irritable friend. "We _won_? Oh, we won, did we? Ben, you sound like our teammates after a total rout, marching back to base with tales of epic standoffs and tense confrontations. In the meantime, _we've_ been sitting out in some cruddy bush somewhere cursing as not a single shell hits its mark, or worse yet, that perfect shot turns sour as the target goes up in flames just _moments_ before your shell lands all pretty on the dead hull. Oh, but don't worry! We won, by god; we won!"

The three were now in sight of Sasha's returning team. Sasha turned away from Kralik after excusing himself, and slowly approached the mercenaries, feeling on edge about the malcontented atmosphere surrounding them. They stopped and waited for him to reach them, but Clovis couldn't stay still; his irritation clear as the day that had broken free of the mountains at last.

"Is the KV-1 alright?" Before Clovis could begin complaining, Anya pressed the question to Sasha. She'd seen the hit, and it'd looked bad even from her distant vantage.

"His engine is out, and he will need repairs. Aside from that, he is well." Grateful for the brief respite her question had offered, he then prepared for the outburst he could feel coming from the French artillery.

Sure enough, Clovis shoved Anya aside to stand bravely before Sasha's great hull. "I'm starting to wonder," he sniffed with disdain, "if you're trying to make fools of us. Artillery in the mountains? Oh yeah; that's a _great_ joke!" He revved his engine for emphasis, but Sasha continued to look back at him impassively.

"I do not care for your broken pride," Sasha told Clovis coldly. "You will fight when I tell you to fight, and shoot at what I tell you to shoot at. You and the others," his barrel gestured to the M12 and the G.W. Panther, "are mercenaries. Your will is mine." He didn't wait for a response, turning instead to begin directing his team towards their next objective.

There was a harsh clank as a shell fell into place within Clovis's barrel. Sasha stopped, though his turret did not turn. "Tell me, Clovis; what is your reload speed?"

"Won't take more than one, at this range!" Clovis sneered, unfazed by the heavy's cool demeanor. "You heavy tanks always think you're the biggest, baddest tanks on the field. Well, I know what it is that hunts the heavy. Want to take a guess?"

Benjamin looked nervously towards Anya, then back towards his friend. "Hey, Clovis; that's enough! I don't think-"

Before he could continue, Sasha was speaking again. "You did not answer my question. How fast is your reload?" He still hadn't moved, and his voice remained level.

Despite his earlier confidence, Clovis felt himself falter for a moment. _Something_ was up, but he was still confident he wasn't wrong. He wasn't part of the Angels for nothing; his accuracy could easily nail him an ammo rack from this range. And yet...

Sasha sighed at last, sounding tired. "Clovis, you fail to understand the importance of this very simple question." He started to traverse, his turret moving with the slow turn of his hull. "I have no doubts in your capacity to eliminate me in one shot. It is why I hired you. I learned already the value of your fury from above." Despite the slow traverse, Clovis couldn't bring himself to fire. "And yet, need I remind you of _what hunts the artillery?_ "

At last, Clovis pulled himself out of his tunnel vision. Arrayed behind Sasha's massive frame sat three light tanks, their tracks quivering and their guns trained on him. Furious with himself, he at last lowered his own gun and hastily retreated to the side of his friend, Benjamin.

"No enemy is without allies, Clovis. Be careful of who you decide to cross." Having made his point clear, Sasha called out to the rest of the team to gather around.

Benjamin knocked the French's track in warning. "What were you thinking? We could have been killed!" He twitched from side to side, his instinct to avoid being circled kicking in hard after the sight of the three light tanks.

Still unwilling to let go of his pride, Clovis revved his engine once more. "I didn't think-!"

"Didn't think what?" Anya cut in sharply. "Didn't think they'd kill us? What, because we're the Angels? Are you forgetting who Sasha is?" She turned away from him, disgusted, but continued, "Sasha may have many enemies, but here? You won't find more loyal teammates than the tanks that make up Sasha's primary team."

The M12 shushed them. "Let's not cause any more trouble. Looks like Sasha is about to speak."

The three of them stayed close together, but focused their attention on the heavy as the rest of the team gathered around. The energy that emanated from the assembled tanks bounced and skipped across hulls and rattled inside of their fuel tanks. The Mountain Pass was theirs, for all intents and purposes, and it was on to the next conquest.

"The battle at Mountain Pass is over," Sasha declared in a booming voice, a juxtaposition to his normal, soft-spoken self. "However, there is yet more territory beyond these peaks that has only to be conquered. We strike out for the Arctic Region next. Our current intel suggests that, while no concrete team resides there, a few rogues have made the frigid wastes their home.

"These rogues may be hostile, and they may be dangerous. We will need to scout the area before moving in completely. They will, of course, be offered a chance to flee," he paused as a chorus of engine revving and shells loading swept across the team, "but if they are not fast enough, or foolishly decide to stay and fight... we will crush them."

The sound of shells exploding from barrels filled the valley with their powerful echoes. Sasha's team was ready for the next conquest, and they had a thirst for a real fight. The only one among them who did not feel the excitement was Tracey. She had volunteered to come with them, but was this really what she wanted? It was too late to turn back now, she knew. All she could do was try to keep up with the pack, and continue to represent her own team. The Arctic Region was several days travel, though with the heavier, slower vehicles on the team, the trip could very well extend to over a week. Tracey sent a prayer up to the RNG gods and decided it best to leave her worrying behind - at least for the time being.


	15. Old Foes, New Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tiger has surely displayed its worthiness, saving Annie's band from the yet nameless rogue T34. However, it remains to be seen if sparing the dangerous heavy's life was such a clever idea after all. Dangers lurk ahead on the path they've chosen, and soon a haunting reminder of Annie's past will resurface to trouble them all further.

Annie and her allies faced a very different kind of dilemma, one that involved a very small Goliath and a very big problem. It had been a tricky and awkward situation to navigate, but once the T34 was convinced to cooperate, Annie had ordered him to dump almost all of his ammunition before traveling with them.

"You may keep five shells," she had told him flatly, still remaining behind his turret where he was more vulnerable.

"Why's that?" The rogue had snorted, wondering if he was catching a lucky break. "That's one for each of you, if my aim is right."

"Nonsense. You might be valuable to us as we travel." She'd given a silent command to the others, and they began traveling. "I promise; if you so much as scratch the paint on any of my refugees, I will leave you stranded here trackless, and you do _not_ want to still be here when Sasha catches up."

So, from there they traveled what seemed a long time in silence. Tiger obviously liked the big space underneath the T34, and happily popped in and out of it, chirping and beeping all the while. Gordon watched it like a sniper, ready to fire blanks should the stranger accidentally run the poor thing over.

Daniel, Steve, and Ivanov pulled up the rear, some distance behind the other three, where they started to speak in hushed voices.

"How long until he figures out the Goliath is a dud?" Steve gulped, stealing a glance at the T34. "Or worse - what if he figures out I don't have an army of Goliath mines in me? What then?!"

Ivanov bounced off the side of Steve's track. "Don't be silly! Annie's already got that covered. Even without Tiger, we have the edge now that Annie's the one with the full ammo rack."

"She _did_ allow him five shells, though..." Daniel whimpered, unable to grasp why she would take that risk.

Ivanov, not properly reading the mood, grinned wickedly. "Wellll, there are _worse_ things to run into out here," he told them slowly, "scary monster vehicles, worse than even tier X's!"

"That's enough with the garage tales, Ivanov!" Steve hissed, but he looked suddenly haunted. "We all hear stories like that, but everyone knows they're not _true_."

"We, uh; we do?" Daniel quavered, feeling less and less comfortable around the strange, hostile rogue who had ambushed them. The T34 had refused to give a name even now, and the mystery only made it scarier to Daniel.

"Hey, what are you lot muttering about back there?" Gordon shouted, and the sudden loudness of his voice caused all three of them to jump in shock. "Geeze; maybe if you didn't hold your conversations in whispers, that wouldn't startle you so much. What _are_ you talking about?"

"Monster machines!" Ivanov piped up. "Metal amalgams. Y'know; zombie tanks and stuff."

"I want to point out that it was Ivanov who brought up the topic; not us!" Asserted Steve, sounding a little cross. "I do not tell silly garage tales."

Annie signaled for the T34 to stop. "Enough. We need to focus on real threats. There is another base ahead, but I do not know if it is inhabited." The others looked past her and across the hot dusty stretch of sand before them. 

Daniel realized with a shock that it was an airfield. "There aren't... y'know... _planes_ actually here, are there?" Tanks he could deal with - either you fought them, or you ran away. But planes were different; they could target you from above, but unlike when up against artillery, you couldn't fight back.

"This airfield hasn't been in use for years," the T34 spoke suddenly, his voice low and rough. "But there are a few rogues in the area - small fry really; more a gang than a team."

"Is that so," Annie gave this some thought. "Very well then. Daniel, will you scout for us?"

The medium reversed suddenly. "What? Me?" He looked around the assorted tanks, and realized with a sinking fuel tank that no other fit the job. If it was dangerous, the fragile BT-2 wouldn't stand a chance under superior enemy fire. Daniel, on the other track, was the fastest among them. Defeated, he sighed once and nodded his barrel. "Right. You and the others should find some cover in the meantime. This airstrip will be trouble for us if there are any tank destroyers up on that ridge."

"Huh, he does have his uses after all," Gordon laughed. "Alright then; let's take cover behind the outcropping there. It isn't much, but we know what's behind us already, so it's better than nothing."

While the others made their way to cover, Daniel skirted the edge of the airfield and travelled into a maze of dips and rises formed by sand and rock. He gladly used the terrain to keep a low profile, and made sure to be moving at all times. While the terrain gave him cover, so too could it give a hostile sniper cover as well. Bushes and boulders lined the tops of the ridges, and Daniel fretted his view range might not be enough for a cleverly hidden tank destroyer. Eventually, he found a coastline, and paused for a moment to look out at the waves.

_I've never seen the ocean before,_ he reflected, in awe of the strange sight. _What would it be like to live here?_ He brushed away the thoughts, returning to the task at hand. Making his way along the coastline, he spotted the tall flagpole atop one of the rises, surrounded by a clustering of buildings. He again paused before he crested the gentle slope that led up to the base, finally gunning it and shooting across an open space adjacent to the buildings.

Still, he saw nothing; not so much as an indication of any tanks having made the base their own. Feeling more relaxed, he moved on back towards the airfield, this time hugging the other side where there was minimal cover - but still better than across, where there was little to none. That's when he heard the shot.

"Ah, heck!" He instinctively began to weave and dodge, making his flight uneven to avoid giving the enemy a clear shot. He risked a look back, and was startled to see an E25 barreling down the airfield in a similar fashion - serpentining just as Daniel was doing. _But wait... that means-!_

"Run!" The stranger screamed at him. "Get out of here before he kills you too!" It was at that moment that the second shot rang out, and with a lurch the E25 violently swung around. The shot had missed his hull, but found its mark in the tank destroyer's track, causing his momentum to turn him around in a near-180.

Daniel calculated the time between the first and the second shot. _Whatever is firing, its firepower is no joke!_ Looking ahead again, he decided he had just enough time to reach the rock outcrop where the rest of the group was hiding. He felt bad about the E25, but there was truly nothing he could do. Then, to his horror, he saw the T34 emerging from his cover and moving at top speed towards him.

Alarmed, Daniel cried, "What are you doing? There's a sniper across the way!" But the T34 didn't stop as Daniel passed him.

"That E25's a goner if we don't do something," he shouted back. Raising his barrel, he fired a single shot into the air. "I'm gonna give this bastard a higher priority target."

The T34 kept going, but Daniel had finally made it to the others, where he at last stopped and allowed himself to calm down just a little.

"What's going on?" Annie demanded, peaking out from her cover to watch the heavy's progress down the field.

"Well, at first I didn't see anyone," he spluttered in a rush, "b-but then, when I was coming back, I heard this loud boom coming from behind me! I thought the shot was for me, but when I looked back there was this E25 fleeing as well."

Gordon butted in, impatient to ask his own questions before Daniel could finish. "Where the hell does that idiot T34 think he's going?" He rocked on his tank, clearly wishing he could watch but unwilling to run the risk of being shot himself.

"He said something about making himself a 'high priority target', but he didn't elaborate." Another shot rang out, causing Daniel to wince.

"He scarcely has the ammunition to go charging in like that," Annie murmured. "We need to circle around and find that sniper. Daniel, you've already explored the area. Lead the way. Steve, Gordon, and Ivanov; you stay here where it's safe. I will handle this."

"Ay ay, captain." Steve raised his barrel in salute. "I'll look after the little ones then." He searched around for the smallest of their party. "Speaking of which, where'd the bugger go?"

Gordon looked at Steve, then jerked forward to look after the T34. "You gotta be fucking kidding me," he growled. "Tiger's still under his hull!"

Out in the field, the E25 was confused. He'd expected the next shot to end him, but instead, he'd heard the shot come from another direction - the one he'd been fleeing towards. He realized the medium he'd seen probably wasn't alone, and thanked the RNG gods for that stroke of luck.

Behind him, the T34 had nearly reached the middle of the field. He'd sustained a lucky bounce and a non-penetration, but he was certain that luck wouldn't hold out for long. As he'd intended, the E25 had been left alone while the mysterious attacker went after him instead. _Come on,_ he thought crossly, _that tier IX better be doing something._ He heard a soft chirp. Horrified, he realized the Goliath had followed him out onto the field. _Well, that's just great..._

Meanwhile, Annie and Daniel were making their way through the dips between the rises, moving back towards the base Daniel had earlier spotted. He was sure the sniper was somewhere beyond it, away from the coast, nestled in the hangers and structures that overlooked the end of the airfield opposite to their former position of cover. Annie was quite as they went, but she had an aura of calm that reassured Daniel.

"We can cut through the base - but skirt the circle, of course." They'd reached the base of the rise where the base sat. "We don't have much time."

It was as they crested that Daniel at last saw what had become of the rogues the T34 had mentioned. "Oh, god! That monster!"

The center of the base circle was crowded by half a dozen dead hulks, the burned out hulls of tanks and tank destroyers alike. One still smoked - the sniper's last victim. They'd obviously not died on the spot; ruts in the ground suggested their killer had meticulously pushed them there, like some kind of grotesque warning.

"There is no time to loiter," Annie reminded him, though her tone was sad. "Such a waste. They look young." She moved past, edging the circle and continuing on to the suspected sniper's perch.

Daniel gave them once last look, shaken by the sight. Then, steeling himself, he hurried after her. The terrain gave way to another downward slope, but rose again where the hangers sat. Another loud shot rang out, this time shaking the ground under track.

"We're close," Annie whispered, "stay out of sight until I return. Watch the T34 while you're here. I want eyes on everything." She turned away from him and stalked up the hill.

Back on the field, the T34 had reached the stranded TD and took up a position between him and the sniper. At last, the E25 could see his rescuer, and he felt hopeful again.

"Thank you, stranger!" He told the heavy, overwhelmed by emotions.

"Are you hurt?" The T34 growled back, clearly trying to focus on the assault but still concerned for the hapless tank destroyer.

"Just my track, sir." His gun went up and down in affirmation, though the T34 wasn't looking. The T34 didn't speak anymore, so the E25 settled down to wait, praying that the rescue wouldn't be in vain.

Annie had reached the hangers and was slowly circling around them. Sure enough, hidden behind a tumble of boulders and a thick cover of bushes, there sat the robust form of a T28 - a formidable tier VIII tank destroyer. From its perch, the targets on the airfield were no match for its superior firepower. It had them completely pinned, and it privately gloated its inevitable victory.

_But you do have one weakness,_ Annie thought with satisfaction. _You don't have a turret._ She first fired a warning shot, causing obvious shock to the tank destroyer. "Just what do you think you're doing, stranger? You've caused quite a lot of trouble around here."

The T28 frantically began to traverse, just as Annie knew it would, and she waited for the perfect moment. Once its barrel no longer faced the airfield, she fired a second shot, tracking her target easily. The tank destroyer swore furiously.

At last admitting defeat, the T28 let out an angry sigh. "What's it to you?" He snapped. He still couldn't see the face of his attacker, and it only made him angrier.

"Well, for one thing-" With a start, she recognized the emblem painted carefully on the TD's side. "You... you are with Sasha and his conquest," she breathed.

"Oh? Well, how unusual. A survivor who lived to tell the tale. So then, will you finish me off out of spite? Just who are you?"

Annie felt the bitterness swelling, but she kept it at bay. "You were there," she hissed at last. "You and your team killed my family, my friends. You deserve to die - but not by my shells." Without another word, she traversed and moved away from him, still out of sight of his viewports. 

"Hey, come back here!" He yelled in frustration. "You're a coward, you know that? A coward!" But Annie didn't respond nor stop, leaving the immobilized tank destroyer to curse and brood by himself.

The shots had finally ceased, and Daniel was relieved when he saw Annie reappear unscathed. He rushed towards her. "What happened?"

"The situation has been dealt with," she told him plainly, "let us attend to our allies now."

Across the field, the heavy and the tank destroyer listened for more shots, but heard none. Turning to face the E25, the T34 gave a wry laugh. "Well then, it looks like that ragtag group isn't as pathetic as I'd thought."

The E25 twitched suddenly. "Hey! My track's fixed!" The two looked down and saw the Goliath, which chirped and clicked proudly. "Whoa, what is that thing?"

"It's a Goliath. A tracked mine. I didn't realize they could do that." The T34 shook his turret slowly in disbelief. "It's part of the group I mentioned. They're... eccentric. I get the feeling this Goliath is harmless, though. What a good trick..."

With a series of complicated beeps, the Goliath shot past them to meet up with Annie and Daniel, who had moved down the field to regroup. Daniel's turret swung around as the Goliath did circles around him, while Annie reached the heavy and stopped to regard him and the runaway E25.

First she addressed the E25 in a gentle voice. "And what is your name, then? Mine is Annie." She glanced past them briefly, looking across the field to where she could see Steve and Gordon peering around their cover.

"I'm Kree!" The E25 responded, the excitement of his rescue still fresh in his fuel. "Nice to meet you."

Next, she gave the heavy a sharp, scrutinizing look. "That was remarkably stupid of you," she chastised the T34, "but also very brave. Why would you risk yourself like that, when only hours ago you threatened our lives for our goods?"

Looking between the two, Kree gave them a sheepish nod before hurrying away to meet the M7. This was a conversation that clearly did not involve him.

The conversation continued. "It's complicated," the heavy said at last. "I have been desperate for some time, and quite alone. Meeting you and your group... it reminded me of what it means to have a team." He looked past Annie to where Daniel, Tiger, and the E25 were playing a game of tag. "You take in refugees, yes? This tank destroyer probably needs an ally, and you seem to be the leader to turn to. And on that note..." He looked away, becoming distant.

"You are welcome to come with us as an ally," Annie assured him. "No grudges, no need to prove yourself. You have already done as much, and shown me that you will put your life on the line for your allies, and even strangers in peril."

"By the way," he looked back to Annie, relieved by her offer, "my name is Ronan."


End file.
